It’s game on for Xbox with new deal offering ‘year-round opportunity’ at the Rose Bowl

Xbox has signed a multiyear sponsorship deal with the Rose
Bowl that gives the gaming console brand camera-visible signage, game-day
promotions and on-site activation rights.

Industry sources put the value of the deal in the mid-six
figures annually.

Xbox signs were visible during the Rose
Bowl
game between USC and Penn State.

Xbox signage will be visible during the 2010 BCS championship,
the Rose Bowl, UCLA football games and other sporting events, such as
international soccer matches and high school sports competitions. The deal also
makes Xbox the naming-rights sponsor of America-Fest, an annual July 4th
celebration at the Rose Bowl.

The deal gives the brand a chance to set up its gaming
consoles and interact not only with college students and fans at UCLA and bowl
games but also with thousands of families visiting the stadium for the annual
July 4th celebration.

“The Rose Bowl offered a year-round opportunity for us,” said
Roush Vance, managing partner of epmThree, Xbox’s event agency. “We have two
benchmark events — a summertime one that allows us to reach out to families,
and the bowl itself that allows us to focus on our sports title and holiday
sales initiatives.”

EpmThree completed the deal with Premier Partnerships, a Los
Angeles-based agency that represents the Rose Bowl, in late December. Xbox
signage was installed ahead of the 2009 Rose Bowl and could be seen on camera
during the game between Penn State and USC.

“They actually managed to get a bonus game that provided
thousands upon thousands of dollars in media exposure,” said Jeff Marks, chief
operating officer at Premier Partnerships.